When one thinks of famous ancient Greek statues, immediately we think of one of the most famous, Discobolus – The discus thrower. And he is visiting Australia together with one hundred pieces of ancient Greek statues that will be on exhibition in the Bendigo Art Gallery (Victoria, Australia), on loan from the British Museum. The exhibition is being called, “The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece,” which will start in August, 2014. The pieces will include vases, statues and other antiquities, but the most famous will be Discobolus.
Discobolus is thought to have been sculptured between 460-450 BC by the Athenian sculptor Myron of Eleutherae. Myron’s original bronze statue has been lost, but several Roman copies survive. One copy was unearthed near Hadrian’s Villa in 1790 and purchased by Thomas Jenkins, an English antiquary and art dealer. Englishman, Charles Townley purchased the copy from Jenkins and subsequently it was purchased by the British Museum in 1805. This copy has become known as the Townley Discobolus. It is noted that when this copy was restored, the head was incorrectly placed.
Kenneth Clark, a noted author, museum director, and broadcaster, observed in The Nude, “Myron has created the enduring pattern of athletic energy. He has taken a moment of action so transitory that students of athletics still debate if it is feasible, and he has given it the completeness of a cameo.”